The Federal Judge Vladimir Zaitsev, chairing at the proceedings titled “SPS versus Central Elective Commission” (CEC) seems to dislike journalists. During the first court day he called to order three times and required to stop going out for calling to the editorial offices, to discuss the course of the proceeding and to …leaf over newspapers (“it’s not library here!” he said). 

Nikita Belykh, the leader of the right, was full of hope and tried to see the signs of possibility of favorable for his party decision.

However, major part of those present noted that the date of the case consideration – 1-2 July – was not accidental and the “right” court is going to be over right before the “left” court begins. The matter is that the consideration of the similar action by Communists is coming soon. Well, anyway it is clear what all that is going to end up in.

Of course, canceling the results by United Russia would be equal to dissolution of the State Duma. But both the right and the Communists require a bit different thing – they want annulment of all the votes in the Duma election of 2007 and the CEC is sure to beat off easily. Reminding, the elective campaign by SPS was actually blocked by the interior ministry agencies in provinces. Million-copied turnover of the newspaper “Problema #1”, leaflets and even calendars with the pictures of the right leaders on it were detained by the police for checking for extremist appeals and were returned only on the days when the propaganda was already impossible, according to the elective law. Of course, that was a real stroke on SPS and that seemed to be a revenge for complaint by SPS to CEC about the candidate Vladimir Putin. However, either the right or the left do not prejudice the “score” of the game, they only complain about the inequality of the rules applied.      

Bringing to the court their offence they show the whole case to be a particular one, which enables the “election ministry” getting on its hobby horse and saying that, yes, there have been violations, but all that did not affect much the final outcomes. The details given by the SPS jurist Vadim Prokhorov could make one astonished, but the CEC members stayed imperturbable.